Snow Day 2.0

Work buzzed yesterday with talk of the upcoming snowstorm. Sure enough, at about 3:00, as the first flurries started dancing by the window, HR sent out an email telling us that if schools were closed in the morning we shouldn't bother coming in. At that moment my dread of the snow turned to delight and we all started cheering on the accumulation. I woke up at six and turned on the news- sure enough, nearly every school district in Southern Wisconsin was closed for today. Feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, I could hardly fall back asleep. But somehow I managed to grab an extra hour or so before getting up to enjoy the day. Snow days are even better than weekends- not only are they like presents from nature, the fact that they're generally unexpected means they're completely unscheduled. Plus, since broad mobility is severely limited, you get to enjoy things you might not normally do.

So basically it was a great day, especially since I'm still house/dog sitting for my parents and have the whole place to myself. I made a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and maple syrup and a fruit salad to enjoy while sitting under the sun lamp. Then I took the dog on a long walk through the woods, stopping in at my grandparents to see how they were doing. I baked cookies and made banana chips in the food dehydrator, did some reading which gave way to a nap, made use of my parents' stationary rower and weight bench, and trekked over to the grocery store to pick up supplies for dinner. I've kind of been craving paella lately, so I decided to make a vegetarian version. It turned out surprisingly well- the saffron rice was still creamy and chewy, and with mushrooms, leeks, onions, corn, lima beans, and peas, I didn't miss the shrimp and sausage.

Unfortunately, they snow has only just let up, leaving thirteen inches to contend with on my folks' long, steep, driveway, plus a 2-foot wall of heavy boulders that the plows left at the base. Maybe I should have taken my dad up on that snowblower lesson...